MONTHLY NEWSLETTER MARCH 2017

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1 MONTHLY NEWSLETTER MARCH 2017 I am happy to present this month s market commentary from our Investment Team. The goal is to give our clients and friends a simple way to see everything they need to know about the financial markets on a weekly basis, in 5 minutes or less. After all, investing should be simple, not complicated.

2 NATIONAL DEBT CEILING BEING RAISED Can you imagine that you have run up the balances on your credit cards to their maximums and you call the issuer of each credit card and announce; "I have decided that you need to raise my spending limit." You know the response; "We make that decision; not you." The bank, or other institution, that issues those credit cards has an underwriting department that determines your risk and ability to pay before they determine a maximum spending limit on your card. A responsible household manages its debt and monthly spending against its income and other sources of assets. This balancing act keeps debt from getting out of hand and assists in maintaining good relations with creditors and keeps the consumer's FICO score, and other measures of financial responsibility, high. This micro-economic example is replicated on a macro scale when you consider the same balancing act that the United States must go through to be responsible with tax revenues versus spending and accumulated debt. What is different is that the United States can try to borrow money administration, where public debt went from about $4 to pay its debts, but as the old saying goes; "you can't trillion to under $6 trillion. There were two shutdowns of borrow your way out of debt." This has proven to be a the government during that time, as the budget battle tough lesson for many individuals. And there is a real waged. lesson for a country in this bit of wisdom. While this budgetary tug-of-war goes on, Americans are The Federal Government takes extraordinary measures. mostly in the dark. The average American can understand the benefits and risks of personal money management, but Unfortunately, because of out-of-control spending by the the rise in the nation's debt is a nebulous concept with government and a mismanaged balance sheet, the little expected personal impact. Treasury needs to raise the limit of its borrowing authority in order to pay the bills. Public debt increased during the In August of 2011, the credit-rating organization Standard Clinton and Bush years, but has made its steepest and and Poor's downgraded the U.S.'s credit rating from largest climb during the Obama administration, where it triple-a to double-a plus. Rocky budget negotiations, at jumped from about $11 trillion to $20 trillion. Contrast the time, persuaded the organization to take its rating this with the rise in public debt during President Clinton's down a notch. This was a first for the U.S.'s credit rating, 2

3 since the treasury bond has enjoyed the status of being the real. crème-de-la-crème of safe debt instruments. The rating has allowed the U.S. to borrow at lower rates because of the reduced risk to investors. The U.S. has maintained it highest rating from the two other credit issuing agencies. But, once again, the Congress is in the position where it has to make a decision to raise the debt ceiling. Without that bigger wallet to draw from, things like contributions to federal retirement funds may have to be postponed. This is one area where the debt ceiling and personal finances intersect. A nebulous concept then becomes very THE U.S. TRADE DEFICIT; SHOULD THERE BE CONCERN? The deficit has been a major focus of the new administration, with a "made-in-america" theme, and the repatronizing of international company profits as goals in the coming years. As an incentive to place more of those manufacturing jobs in the U.S., for American-based In recent years, the growth of manufacturing in China, as well as some emerging economies, has allowed that sector companies, there has also been discussion of making it more expensive to manufacture goods outside of the U.S. to be dominated outside the U.S. Cheap labor, and a preponderance of manufacturing facilities has moved much of the production of products outside the U.S. and Another factor that plays into the equation is the strength or weakness of each country's currency. When the dollar is strong, the cost of U.S. exports becomes more expensive in often to Asian countries. markets outside the U.S. Twenty-sixteen saw the deficit America's largest trade deficit is with China; the world's hit a four-year high, totaling $502.3 billion for the year. other biggest economy. The U.S. trade deficit with China was $24.3 billion as of April of That was a large portion of the U.S.'s overall trade deficit of $37.4 billion at President Trump has suggested imposing a 45 percent tariff on Chinese goods, since many Chinese trade policies, along with purported currency manipulation, can that time. artificially make Chinese products cheaper to import. The trade deficit is a measure of the amount of goods and services the U.S. imports versus our exports and how much more imports exceed those exports. Products like cold-rolled steel have been sold at prices lower than cost in the U.S. This has made competition difficult for U.S. manufacturers. In a world economy, there must be an even playing field to Change is Afoot. facilitate fair trade between nations. When one country 3

4 manipulates the elements that effect fair trade, it claims With a very real trade deficit, that has grown steadily over an unfair advantage. This continuing deficit scenario plays the years, any concessions the new president could bring into many economist's forecasts and has some residual to fruition would help the U.S. The trade deficit has impact on the market, especially for institutional proven to be a drag on the economy, and economic growth investors. The U.S. has not enjoyed a trade surplus since has been lethargic in recent years, so improved trade the mid-1970s. agreements would help the U.S. economy. In the meantime, the promise of cutting regulations and corporate taxes and imposing steeper tariffs may stimulate a new resurgence of growth for American manufacturing that would cut the trade deficit and benefit American companies over time. One of the only sticking points is that U.S. wages are much higher than the wages paid in emerging economies and in China. Also, negotiations would have to find some mutual benefits to avoid a trade war. 4

5 Disclaimer: Investment Advisory Services offered through Retirement Wealth Advisors, (RWA) a Registered Investment Advisor. Amber Nabity and RWA are not affiliated. Investing involves risk including the potential loss of principal. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or protect against loss in periods of declining values. Opinions expressed are subject to change without notice and are not intended as investment advice or to predict future performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Consult your financial professional before making any investment decision. Investment Advisory Services offered through Physician Investment Advisors, LLC. Physician Investment Advisors, LLCâ s outgoing and incoming s are electronically archived and subject to review and/or disclosure to someone other than the recipient. We cannot accept requests for securities transactions or other similar instructions through . This information is designed to provide general information on the subjects covered. It is not, however, intended to provide specific legal or tax advice and cannot be used to avoid tax penalties or to promote, market, or recommend any tax plan or arrangement. Please note that Physician Investment Advisors and its affiliates do not give legal or tax advice. You are encouraged to consult your tax advisor or attorney. K Richard Douglas has worked in the financial services industry for 26 years, with an additional 10 writing about financial and economic topics. He s a former series 9, 10, and 26 registered principal and series 6, 7, and 63 registered representative. Richard has held many financial service industry designations, especially in the retirement planning and compliance mechanism areas. About the Author